ectomorph?

Ectomorph??

 Yep ectomorph, you know the skinny guy or the girl that has been called a bean pole. We all know who I am talking about. Their body traits lean towards long thin limbs, small joints, flat chested, shoulders are thin with little width, lean muscle mass but underneath the muscle is stringy. (Am I the only one thinking of string cheese right now?) They have a hard time putting on weight, wish I had that problem, or muscle mass due to their fast metabolism that allows their calories to burn faster then the rest of us.
While cardio and resistance training are important for gaining muscle mass, so is nutrition. We need it to fuel our workouts and bodies, it’s just this body type needs more of it. When I say more of it I am talking about nutrient dense foods not fatty high calorie foods. Look at complex carbohydrates, protein and lots of water. Don’t skip meals, in fact look at starting to do 5 to 6 small meals and take in more calories than you burn if you are looking at trying to gain weight or muscle mass.
Workouts should consist of short and intense exercise focusing on big muscle groups. Perform compound movements that will work multiple muscle groups at once, just remember quality of movement over quantity. Try to perform strength exercises three times a week with rest days between. Use those rest days to perform at least 30 minutes of moderate cardio, which is important for general health, too much cardio and then you end up defeating the purpose of trying to gain weight or put on mass. Basically, eating right, making small and regular changes to your strength training should help you put on muscle mass therefore help you gain weight.